A Philosopher's Guide to Graduate Programs

Climate Survey Generic Example

1) How did you find the experience of participating in discussion: did you find it easy or difficult to express your views/ask questions in class?
Did you ever find that a point you had raised earlier was only noticed when it was made later by another student? Were you interrupted when you were trying to talk? If so, was it by the professor, or by another student?

2) did you visit your professor during his or her office hours or otherwise outside of class? If not, why not? If so, were the visits helpful to you?

3) did you ever receive any explicit encouragement to continue studying philosophy, or to take advanced courses? Do you ever receive discouraging remarks or advice? Is your interest in philosophy ever ridiculed? Was it ever suggested to you that it was inappropriate for a woman to be studying philosophy? (E.g., “what’s a pretty girl like you doing with all those dusty old men?”)

4) were there many other women in your philosophy classes?

5) when you studied for exams, did you work alone or together with other students? If you worked in a group, how many other women were there in the group?

6) In general, how did your peers view your interest in philosophy: other philosophy concentrators? other friends who were not philosophy concentrators?

7) How many other women do you know of who are interested in or involved in philosophy? Undergraduates? Graduate students? Faculty? Do you interact with any of these women?